Confessional construction



h 1963 D. w. BATT ETAL I CONFESSIONAL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 28, 1964THE ' INVENTORS. FATHER DACIAN W.BATT FATHER MAYNARD TETREAULT UnitedStates Patent 3,404,234 CONFESSIONAL CONSTRUCTION Dacian W. Batt andMaynard M. Tetreault, both of 4536 Vine St., St. Bernard, Ohio 45217Filed May 28, 1964, Ser. No. 370,994 3 Claims. (Cl. 179-1) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A telephone equipped confessional in which the operationof the telephones is controlled by switch means operated by a priest andin which, while the telephones are inoperative, a warning light can beactuated by switch means operable by the penitent.

This invention relates to the structure of confessionals. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to a confessional having telephonicequipment for communication between confessor and penitent.

An object of this invention is to provide a telephone arrangement foruse in a confessional between confessor and penitent in which a strongsignal is produced sufficient for penitents who may be hard of hearing.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a telephonearrangement for a confessional in which the circuit is arranged thatonly a single pair of microphones and a single pair of receivers aremounted in the circuit.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a telephonearrangement for a confessional in which a warning light in thecon-fessors compartment is lighted when the penitent raises histelephone instrument and is extinguished when the priest raises hisinstrument.

The above and other objects of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art to which this invention pertains, from the followingdetailed'description and the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly insection showing a pair of confessional chambers, the chambers beingconstructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in section through a wall separating thechambers; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic wiring diagram thereof.

In the following detailed description, and the drawing, like referencecharacters indicate like parts.

In FIG. 1 is shown a confessional including a confessors compartment anda penitents compartment 12. In the confessors compartment is located atelephone handset 14 and in the penitents compartment is located asecond telephone handset 16. The telephone instruments can be mounted ona wall 17 which separates the compartments.

As shown in FIG. 2, the handset 14 has a mouthpiece 18 and a receiverportion 19 and can hang on a conventional switch-operating hook 20. Aswitch 21 (FIG. 3) is operated by the hook 20. Similarly, the handset 16(FIG. 2) in the penitents chamber includes a mouthpiece 22 and areceiver portion 23 and can hang on a switchoperating hook 24 whichoperates a switch 26 (FIG. 3). Referring again to FIG. 2, a warninglight 27 is mounted in the confessors compartment. The handsets can beof the type common in telephone circuits.

The operation of the device can be understood more fully by reference toFIG. 3 which is a circuit diagram thereof.

Power for the device is introduced through line leads 29 and 31. Theline leads energize a transformer 32 which is connected to a rectifier33, which can be a copper oxide type rectifier, and which suppliesunidirectional voltage to leads 34 and 36. An appropriate condenser 37and inductance 38 can be connected across the recti- 3,404,234 PatentedOct. 1, 1968 fier as shown. The voltage supplied is regulated by apotentiometer 39.

When the penitent raises his handset, the switch 26 is released to closeand energize the warning lamp 27. However, the phone circuit remainsunenergized. Then, when the confessor raises his handset, the switch 21is released to swing from the full line position of FIG. 3 to thedotdash line position energizing the telephone circuit and de-energizingthe lamp 27.

As shown, the confessors mouthpiece 18 and the penitents receiver 23 areconnected in series across the leads 34 and 36, and the penitentsmouthpiece 22 and the confessors receiver 19 are similarly connected inseries across the leads 34 and 36. As will be apparent, this arrangementis designed for and works only with a single pair of telephoneinstruments, assuring the privacy of communication between the confessorand penitent and substantially limiting reproduction of the penitentsconfession to the confessors receiver 19 and reproduction of theconfessors response to the penitents receiver 23.

The mouthpieces 18 and 22 include microphones which are responsive to apredetermined range of sound frequencies of the human voice while thereceivers 19 and 23 preferably produce sound frequencies in a furtherrestricted range in response to activation of the microphones mentioned.Such frequency alteration between the sound source and the preception ofthe sound by the listener, whether confessor or penitent, is of greatbenefit in communication to many listeners having impaired hearing.

The confessional arrangement illustrated in the drawing and describedabove is subject to structural modification without departing from thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A confessional which comprises first and second compartments, atelephone instrument in each of said compartments, each of saidinstruments including a transmitter, a receiver, and a switch, a lamp insaid first compartment, a pair of power leads, means for connecting thelamp between the power leads in series with respective pairs of closablecontacts of both switches, the switch in said first compartment having afirst position in which the contacts in series with the lamp are closedand a second position in which another pair of contacts are closed, anda telephone circuit connected between the power leads in series withsaid other pair of closable contacts of the switch in said firstcompartment, said telephone circuit including two parallel branches,each of said branches including a respective transmitter in onecompartment and a respective receiver in the other compartment andseries connections therebetween whereby said switch in said firstcompartment alone controls said telephone circuit and said switch insaid second compartment can be closed to actuate said lamp only when theclosable contacts of the switch in said first compartment connected inseries with said lamp between said power leads are closed.

2. A confessional which comprises first and second compartments, atelephone instrument in each of said compartments, each of saidinstruments including a transmitter and a receiver, a pair of powerleads, a telephone circuit connected between the power leads, saidtelephone circuit including two parallel branches, each of said branchesincluding a respective transmitter in one compartment and a respectivereceiver in the other compartment and series connections therebetween,in said first compartment a first switch in said telephone circuitbetween said parallel branches and one of said power leads andactuatable to open and close said telephone circuit, a lamp circuitextending parallel to the branch containing portion of the telephonecircuit from said first switch to the same one of said power leads, saidfirst switch being actuatable to connect the lamp circuit to a secondpower lead when said telephone circuit is open, and a second switch insaid second compartment for opening and closing the lamp circuit whensaid lamp circuit is otherwise complete between said pair of powerleads.

3. A confessional which comprises first and second compartments, atelephone instrument in each of said compartments, each of saidinstruments including a transmitter and a receiver, a first switch insaid first compartment, a pair of power leads, a telephone circuitconnected between the power leads in series with a pair of contacts ofsaid first switch, said telephone circuit including two parallelbranches, each of said branches including a respective transmitter inone compartment and a respective receiver in the other compartment andseries connections therebetween, said first switch being actuatable byan occupant of said first compartment to open and close said telephonecircuit, a lamp circuit extending from said first switch in parallel tothe branch containing portion of the telephone circuit to the same powerlead, said first switch being actuatable to connect the lamp circuit toa second power lead when said telephone circuit is open, and a secondswitch actuatable by an occupant of said second compartment for openingand closing the lamp circuit when said lamp circuit is otherwisecomplete through said first switch between said pair of power leads.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,424,348 7/1947 Casson 179-12,252,549 8/1941 Beadford et al. 179-1 2,283,646: 5/1942 Nicholas l79l2,889,401 6/1959 Finkbeiner 1791 KATHLEEN H. CLAFFY, Primary Examiner.

A. GESS, Assistant Examiner.

